The Union Education Ministry will launch the Seva First Innovation Challenge (SFIC) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, on September 25.
The challenge will bring together students and young innovators from five states and three Union Territories. These include Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
Registration for the challenge will open on September 25 and continue until October 24, 2026. The national finale will be held in New Delhi from December 10 to 17.
The initiative is being organised jointly by the Ministry of Education, AICTE and UGC, with IISc Bengaluru as the nodal institute.
Who can participate
The challenge will be open to students from schools, ITIs, polytechnics, colleges and universities.
It will have three levels:
Junior: Students from Classes 6 to 12
Technical: Students from ITIs and polytechnics
Open: Undergraduate and postgraduate students and research scholars
At the junior level, participants will identify problems in their communities and develop working solutions or ideas related to services and governance.
Students from ITIs and polytechnics will work on engineering, fabrication, electronics and process-based solutions. Undergraduate students, postgraduates and research scholars will be expected to develop prototypes or pilots with a pathway towards deployment.
Five themes
The challenge will focus on five themes:
Clean and Sustainable Bharat
Prosperous Farmers, Prosperous Bharat
Healthy and Inclusive Bharat
Educated and Skilled Bharat
Secure Bharat
Participants will receive access to academic and industry mentorship, laboratories, fabrication facilities, testing support and incubation.
The programme will also provide seed and pilot funding, field-testing opportunities and guidance on intellectual property protection. Promising projects can be connected with government ministries, state governments, local bodies, public sector undertakings and industry for possible adoption.
The ministry said the initiative is intended to encourage young people to identify problems in their communities and develop solutions that can be tested and taken towards implementation.
Registration: September 25 to October 24, 2026
National finale: December 10 to 17, 2026, New Delhi
Nodal institute: IISc Bengaluru
The official registration and programme details are available on the Seva First Innovation Challenge website